Homemade sweets

I failed making yogurt, it turned into cottage cheese. Do I baked it with eggs,milk,and fresh cream.

One of weekly prepared dishes was steamed pumpkin. Usually I made soup from it. This time I baked pumpkin pudding. 

season word 0920 Autumal Equinox Day

Do you know that the daytime is a little longer on Autumnal Equinox Day?

 

 

Daytime is longer.

 

SANMA-bowl

 

Sanma , pacific sauries are seasonal fish of autumn in Japan.

The most popular way is grilled pacific sauries.

This year I ate the first pacific saury at a restaurant.

It is said, if you eat the first catch of something (in this case pacific sauries) this season, you will enjoy a long life. (Well, many Japanese people are already enjoying their long life)

 

 

My daughter's baggage were sent to Thailand by plane.

There are three baggage of suitcases. Their leaving day is approaching.

 

 

repairning sofas by ourselves

 

We have two sofas in the living room. They are not so expensive, but we've been used them for more than 7 years.

Since this summer the artificial leather has started to become ragged, because of this unusual heat, aging or someone's playing on them hardly.

They are not so expensive, however the size is a little bit unique. (It took long time for us to find this suitable sofas to our living room.)

If we asked for a craft man to repair them, it would cost more than twice of the price we bought.

So we decided to repair them by ourselves.

We bought  artificial leather. It cost about 8000 yen.

 

 

Of course they are all patchwork.

So I covered them with good soft fabric cover.

 

It was Sunday's afternoon job for Yuki and me while Ah-chan and my daughter were outside.

I've managed to catch up with this strange weather.

Even Yuki is saying " it is a tough weather, isn't it?".
For these days "suddenly" it got cool, and according to the weather report in a few days hot weather will come back again.
However we've managed to catch up with this strange weather.
And Yuki came to like herb tea.

When we don't have an enough appetite and are not in good shape, I pick up some lemon balm, and add it to some elder flower I bought . Pepper mint must be better, but they have gone in my garden.

Sometimes I have a headache.  So I made my ordinal lavender oil. The lavender was picked up in June.

And I also drink lavender tea with echinacea.

 

 

On the other hand, I take Japanese herb medicine with is prescribed, which means I use our health insurance.

My nearby doctor is good at dealing with Japanese herb medicine.

season word 0913

"Be Kind to Animals Week" is from September 20th to 26th this year.

 I didn't know that it started in America.

 

These days "pet problem" seems to be getting bigger.

While people are enjoying a long life, some people seek pleasure for pets and some people have to give up to feeding pets.

And here in Japan it is usual to find pets at pet shops. But they don't care the pets who are abandoned.

Then, it is getting a problem how the pet shops gain their goods(which means animals).

 

 

Karaku September

Anyway, I did it, though this Saturday my finger hurt. (chip fracture)

 

Why?
As soon as I started with Ah-chan in the park, I fell down and landed on my hands.

That's it.

 





Discarding 10 things

While my daughter and Ah-chan staying, I keep discarding 10 things once a week constantly.

Additionally, whey they come in June, I discard lots of things to make room for them.

 

Discarding 10 things is my and Yuki's weekend routine. Ah-chan knows it.

So I asked her to do the same thing about her things.

She accepted it.

I suggested her to make three groups, one is a bag for material, another one is for her works, and the other is for discarding.

 

It was a good way to kill time or play with her.

She did it.

Fire ! Steak!

 

 

During Ah-chan staying, we don't often go out to eat than the life of two of us.

However, we decided to go out once a month to a rich restaurant to give an experience to Ah-chan.

 

My father in-law used to give his granddaughters (my daughters) the same experience when he came here.

 

This time, we went to a stake restaurant, there the chef cooks in front of us, and give a kind of fire show.

 

 

What do you think of this idea?

I use this apron as a table cover of Ah-chan's scrabbling table.
What do you thing of this idea?

I kept some things for my daughter.
I had thought she might use them while she were a young mother. However she is going to Thailand for a while, and the number of package is limited.
So I decided to discard the things I kept.
This apron is one of them.
However, it is cute.
So I tried using it to cover the scrabbling .
Usually this table is not put in the living room. It is put temporally while Ah-chan is here.
It means temporally "kids' corner" is made in the living room.
It looks good as a kid's table.

season word 0906 grape picking

 

Here in Utsunomiya, we see the sign of "grape picking".

And we also see another sign. It is "(Japanese) pear picking".

And a little later other signs like "chestnuts picking" and "apple picking" are seen.

 

Yes, we are lucky to have lots of orchard nearby.

However do I do that?

While picking , they are all-you-can-eat.

Can I eat a lot?

No, considering the fee, it costs high for me.

So just I enjoy go to orchards and buys fresh fruits.

 

 

 

September has already started.

It has been a long time since I updated this blog. September has already started.
It means our new school term has already started.
Let me introduce an interesting news.

Bad news for students

I didn't know that we were able to buy all summer homework by online shopping until this news was announced.
It prompted debates, like this.

 

 

1. What is the word of homework defined according to the Japanese newspaper?

 

2. What is the problem according to Japan education ministry?

 

3, What do you think of it?

 

 

 

My answer.

1. "homework" is to study at home by themselves. It is one way to engage proactively with learning aimed at independence.



 The important thing is to do, not to submit it.

2. Originally, homework is to be done at home, it is not goods to sell and buy as business.

3. I understand the aim, on the other hand, I know it is very important to submit it.
Probably it is a matter of morale.
If you couldn't saw dust cloth and asked your neighbor to do it, and  your mother gave some present in return (of course your mother couldn't do that), -- it would be acceptable.
If you couldn't research something and asked your neighbor to do it, and your father gave some present in return (of course your father couldn't do that), -- it would be acceptable.
However, it is not acceptable to be done as business.
One the other hand, if such way were acceptable, in a few years summer homework would not be given to kids.

How many things you want to do do you have?

One of my younger friends, who are in her late 40s, sometimes tells me, "I did one of my 100 things I want to do".
When I hear that at first, I just told a joke about her activity.
I started to play the recorder -- actually I'm involved.
I finally went to "the shop".
I climbed a (low) mountain.
---- like that.
Some things are very easy, and  the others are a little bit difficult.

She is surely pursuing her "dream".
As the number increases, I'm interested in her activity, and I'm also influenced.

Her 100 things she wants to do is not completed. Probably there are more than 50 items.
So while she is pursing her "dream", she also adds her another dream.

It is interesting.
So I tried to do it.

And I was very surprised. Because the number didn't reach the number of 50.
I'm really observed or realistic person.

How many things do you list up what you want to do?

season word 0823 water gun

 

Water gun is MIZU-Deppou in Japanese.

MIZU means water, and Teppou(or Deppou) means gun.

This year I saw the label of "WOH-TAh- GAN" in Katakana instead of MIZU-Deppou at toy stores or do-it-yourself stores.

 

"I" also made MIZU-Deppou .

 

 

It was fun.

 

However, we used plastic straws.

Currently, plastic things are becoming a big problem as an environment issue.

Starbucks have  started to stop using plastic straws, A Japanese big food company Skylark also have started to stop using them.

On the other hand, plastic bottles and plastic straws are main material for kid's crafts.

Of course when I was a child there were not such materials.

Ever period, kids use the current materials for their craft.

What kind of materials will appear when AH-chan become an adult?

about EEl

Definitely I love UNAGI (eel).
And my mother, my mother in-law also loves one.

This summer,  there seemed to be a shortage of Eel.
One reason is that, currently not only in Japan, but also in other Asian country (China, Taiwan, and Korea) they knew the taste and started to eat them.
The second reason is that; we can eat Eel not only at Japanese restaurants but also at family restaurants or delivery service.

When Ah-chan got a preventive shot at hospital, we had lunch outside. She could stand up the "scary, and hard" shot. So as a reward she wanted a toy at a family restaurant.
(In family restaurants, they advertise attractive toys with kids lunch)
There I ate EEL.

About 1000yen.

As I told you yesterday, when I had no apatite, I ordered EEL to the delivery service.

s

 It was a little bit expensive, because it was delivered. About 1800 yen.

And today, Ah-chan has fever, so I took her to the hospital, and on the way home we had lunch at a family restraint.
Unfortunately, eel was sold out.

Additionally, when we visited my mother, we often eat EEL at a Japanese restaurant.
It is usually about 2500 yen.

Home delivery KAMAMESHI

When I was a child, typical home  delivery meals (foods? dishes?, I hope someone tell me.) were Japanese noodle, Sushi, and Eel bowls. When I was young, delivery pizza was common. And --
currently, many kinds of meals are delivered.

Since tomorrow, usual days have started, though there are still four members. Last night I was a little bit tired, so I was going to cook something easy for three members. Unexpectedly Yuki came back earlier.

So we ordered "KAMAMESHI".  It was the first time for four of us.

Kamameshi is a Japanese rice pilaf cooked in an individual  iron pot.
It is often served as EKIBEN at station. Ekiben is meals sold at station.

There are various typs of Kamameshi.
This time we ordered Eel-Kamameshi.

They were tasty.

seasib word 0816 test of courage

 In Japanese it is said "kimo -dameshi". Kimo mease liver and dameshi means test.
Test of courage and KIMO-Dameshi are the same meaning, but the sounds seem to be different.
KIMO-Dameshi sounds more spooky.

Even the chill of KIMO-dameshi,  bent down, to this fierce heat
KIMO-dameshi, how scared I am, I have never done it.

How do you say --- this action?

Now, we are in summer vacation. Later I'll tell you how to spend this vacation.
And from next week, my daily life will have started.
Next Tuesday, it is a volunteering day at the library.
I'll read some English picture books, and about one book I'm thinking about an activity.

I prepared cups with a number.

1. please spread the cups randomly.

2.While I'm reading the book, I shout a number. So take a cup of the same number and stack the cups.

3. Thanks. Well, now I'll read the book again from backward, When I shout a number, please remove the cup with the number.

Does it make sense?
If some one  help me, I owe you one!

air-conditioner sick

Have you ever heard of the word "air-conditioner sick"?
Now my husband Yuki is suffering from it, and finally he took a sick-day. It is really unusual.
Last month he took a sick-day from summer cold (our grandmother brought it). He seldom takes such sick-days.
It means the heat of this summer is unusual, and our situation with our daughter and grand daughter is also unusual.

"Air-conditioner sick" seems to be used only in Japan. It is a particular syndrome in Japan.
According to Japanese Wikipedia,
--------
 Air-conditioner sick doesn't exist as one of illness in the medical world. However it is right many people in Japan  feel unwell including slight fever or headaches when they stay in the area where air conditioners work very well for long hours and after that they stay in a very hot sites, and they have to experiences such a temperature difference repeatedly.
The relationship of this bad shape and air conditioners is not clear scientifically . However in Japan many people are suffering from air-conditioner sick in summer. Japanese doctors use this term. Additionally this term isn't accepted in the world not standard.
Probably our thermoregulation immune system is different from others.
--------

Yuki said,
in Yuki's office, about half of Japanese workers wear long-sleeved uniforms on the other hand most of foreign workers (there are many foreign workers in his office) wear short-sleeved uniforms.

And he often heard that some people are suffering from air-conditioner sick, but never heard that foreign workers suffer from it.

Well, well, it is an additional thing.
The other day I had to kill time at a shopping mall while  our daughter and her granddaughter were  participating in a meeting. I forgot to bring my jacket. It was too cold to stay there without jacket. And fortunately many clothes were on sale. So I bought a new jacket.

season words in June

Kids' summer vacation has started, so everywhere every morning in July kids and senior people get together to do radio gymnastic exercises in each local community.

 

 

If you are interested in it, try it!

 

Another season word is "stag beetle".

 

 

Can you find stag beetles in woods or parks naturally?

Nowadays many kids think they are bought.